Contact:
Evan Ottenfeld, Director of Strategic Communications - eottenfeld@urbanlibraries.org
Angely Montilla, Carnegie Corporation of New York - aem@carnegie.org

WASHINGTON, DC - The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is proud to announce the approval of a $1 million grant for a project piloting Civic Labs for Youth. Support for this initiative was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The Civic Labs for Youth initiative will build a coordinated network of 10-12 public library systems with Carnegie-built library branches that empower young people ages 15-18 to practice democracy and lead community change. Over the 24-month project, participating libraries will offer hands-on civic learning experiences that complement school education, and partner with community organizations and families to deepen civic impact.

“Across the US, we are witnessing alarmingly high rates of polarization and distrust, and our youth are especially vulnerable, said Brooks Rainwater, President & CEO of the Urban Libraries Council. “We thank Carnegie for recognizing that public libraries, as trusted, inclusive spaces, are uniquely situated forums for civic learning outside of school hours, helping to turn youth disengagement into youth potential.”

ULC member libraries with Carnegie-built branches will be invited to apply in the coming months, with the selection also guided by consideration for urban, suburban, and rural diversity. Each public library will offer at least one long-term initiative that addresses a community need, one project-based program that engages all youth participants, and one youth-led project, while also partnering with national experts in civic education and media literacy to train librarians as civic facilitators.

The project complements ULC’s current and past initiatives to support youth and democracy, including around creating youth opportunity.

“Public libraries have a long history of supporting civic education and helping people understand how to participate in public life,” added Shamichael Hallman, Senior Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity. “While much of the national conversation about civic education focuses on schools and higher ed, libraries are essential parts of the civic learning ecosystem. By preparing librarians to guide this work and young people to lead it, Civic Labs for Youth will help strengthen the next generation of change makers.”

"Public libraries are essential parts of the civic learning ecosystem. Civic Labs for Youth will give young people hands-on opportunities to practice civic skills and lead community change in a trusted, accessible setting, while building the capacity of librarians to support that work,” said Ambika Kapur, program director of Education at Carnegie Corporation of New York. "This fits into how Carnegie thinks about civic education: as something that happens both in schools and in the community institutions people rely on every day."

Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that Carnegie considered most important: education, democracy, and peace.

The Urban Libraries Council is an innovation and action tank of nearly 200 of North America’s leading public library systems. We drive cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships to elevate the power of libraries as essential, transformative institutions for the 21st century.